International Human Resource Management: best practice versus worst practice in organizational culture

Thèmes abordés

Human Resource Management, organizational culture , Hofstede's cultural dimensions

Résumé du document

Edgar Schein has developed a model of organizational culture, which include three levels: the observable artifacts, the values and the basic assumptions. For Google the observable artifacts correspond to the physical manifestation on the campus such as: free healthy food, free shuttle, the magnificent offices, bikes, stand-up meeting, Internet access everywhere, the architecture, Google logo everywhere, the relaxed employees and so on. Google managed to create a strong cultural identity with his 10 commandments, which reflects certain value as demanding work but in a fun atmosphere without suit for example, focus on the consumer and so on. All of this help to promote a strong organizational culture, Google want to create an environment, which is much more than a simple workplace (fun and untraditional company), the employees is not simple employees but Googlers and it is a real success!

Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory is a precious tool for understands the organizational culture of Google. Google practices a low power distance; decisions at Google are made in teams, the employees are equal and the opinion of all is important. The leadership style is participative without excessive oversight, all of this element permit to develop the independent thinking and the creativity, but also thanks to free periods to work on new project (20%) or personal projects (10%).

Extraits

[...] International Human Resource Management: best practice versus worst practice in organizational culture 1. Organizational culture: Edgar Schein defines the organizational culture as set of premises and a set of shared faiths that the group learnt as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, which worked enough well so that it is considered valid, and consequently is taught the new members as the appropriate way to perceive, to think and to feel with regard to these problems". We are going to study the case of Google, which has rather one participative culture and the case of Enron, which has one authoritarian culture. [...]

[...] - MIKE MYATT (2013). Leadership Lesson: The difference between Google and Apple. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 8 May 2015]. Case - WONG P.T.P (n.d). Lessons from the Enron Debacle: Corporate culture matters! PhD, C.Psych. Trinity Western University Langley, BC, Canada . Available at: [Accessed 8 May 2015]. - SUSAN BOSWELL (2012). The smartest guys in the room : management lessons from Enron's leaders. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 9 May 2015]. [...]

[...] Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory will help us to understand why the organizational culture was a real failure for the company. There was a high individualism, for example the reward system was based on individual success, the consequence was dramatic because no one helped the others employees. Enron practiced a cult leadership and had charismatic leadership, they encouraged employees to achieve goals and pursue wealth at any costs, even if it is necessary to break the rule. Furthermore, the company was very generous in term of salary, bonus and possibility of evolution, thus it is easy to see that Enron was a company with masculine value; the money and profit was the most important. [...]

[...] - Knockitpocket (2005). Enron The smartest guys in the room. [Video online] Available at: [Accessed 9 May 2015]. - MARTINEAU J.T (2007). Les leçons éthiques de la crise d'Enron : une analyse systémique. M. SC. HEC Montréal. Available at: [Accessed 9 May 2015]. [...]

[...] Google accept well the uncertainty, because it is necessary for innovate new tools for the users. Then, Google is a company, which have feminine values, the equality, the quality of life of his employees is very important, for example Google encourages his employees to bring their pet to the office. Google set up a maternity leave of 4 months paid, for past more time with your baby. Google increased the maternity leave because many women left the company further to their pregnancy. [...]